Luxiana Sommeris“Where’s Anton? If you hurt him, I will end you.” I clenched my fists, which made him chuckle.He didn’t say anything, but he moved forward. I didn’t flinch—not when the shadow moved like a living creature, snarling without a mouth, nor when Morpheus hovered a little closer, like he was trying to study me, savor me, as if I were a guest of honor at some twisted performance he’d been rehearsing for centuries. My fists clenched at my sides, and though my heart thudded hard against my ribs, I refused to let him see fear. Not now. Not when I had come all this way.“What kind of show are you planning to put on this time?” I asked, my voice firm, even as the chill of his presence settled into my bones. “Another nightmare? Another illusion to trap me in?”He tilted his head, his expression between amusement and curiosity, like a child toying with a fragile toy, waiting to see how easily it would break.“Oh, this one’s going to be special,” he said softly, almost sweetly, as
Luxiana SommerisFor a fleeting moment, I saw fear flicker across Morpheus’ face—a brief crack in his mask of arrogance—but he quickly smirked, recovering his composure. I had been told before that he never liked Damien, and now I understood why. It was the white flames. Something about them, something pure and ancient, unsettled him.“You’re making this even harder,” Morpheus sneered, rising slowly from where Damien had brought him to his knees. He dusted himself off as if the attack was nothing more than a minor inconvenience, but I could see the tightness around his eyes, the tremor in his voice. “Do you really think the two of you can be together?”Damien took a cautious step forward, eyes narrowed in disbelief. Clearly, he hadn’t expected Morpheus to recover so quickly—not after being consumed by white flames, the same flames that had once been powerful enough to destroy entire darkness.Despite Morpheus’s attempt to appear unshaken, I could tell the damage was real. He was hur
Luxiana Sommeris“How can we reach him?” Mira asked, her voice low but laced with worry, the concern lingering in her eyes despite her valiant effort to mask it.A sudden surge of hope rose within me, a warmth that spread through my chest like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. I was just about to tell her what to do, to explain the next step, when a sound tore through the stillness—a scream, raw and anguished, that shattered the moment.Damien was down on one knee, his flames sputtering like a candle on the verge of going out, his breath ragged and uneven. Across from him stood Morpheus, towering and bloodied, yet crackling with the vicious energy of victory, his form coiled and ready to deliver the final strike. Time stretched unbearably thin in that instant, as if the world held its breath with me, one heartbeat, one second suspended in the space between what was and what could still be.“Damien! No!” The words ripped from my throat like a bolt of lightning, sharp and despe
Anton“Y-You saw it? B-But how?” I asked, my voice almost breaking.“It doesn’t matter how. I want to see it and take it from you, so let’s go back, okay?” Mira said as she held my hands.“O-Okay,” I replied, the word trembling from my lips, but it was enough to make them both smile, and for a moment, that warmth was all I could feel.“There’s still time,” Mira said again with the authority of someone who had walked through too many endings to be afraid of one more. “But we have to act now. Morpheus still has his grip on you, and if we wait, he’ll pull you too deep—we might never reach you again.”I looked at them—at Luxiana’s steady eyes and Mira’s unshakable calm—and for the first time in what felt like forever, I let myself believe that maybe I wasn’t lost after all. That the darkness hadn’t consumed everything, that the flicker of light I thought was long gone had survived because they had come before the dream collapsed.“I don’t know if I’m strong enough,” I whispered, the trut
Luxiana Sommeris“My walkers… they can’t fully possess the people in either the waking world or the dream realm—what did you do?” Morpheus screamed, his voice sharp and accusing, echoing like a crack of thunder through the heavy air, forcing me to leave Damien’s side and step forward until I stood directly in front of him, unflinching.“What I did,” I began, my breath shaky but my voice steady, “was use everything I am as an Oneiromancer to stop whatever it is you’re trying to tip out of balance.” I exhaled sharply, the pressure of it all catching up to me. “You really think I came all this way just to fight you without a reason, don’t you?”“We know what you've been doing,” I continued, my fists clenched so tight my nails dug into my palms, “I swear I won’t let you get away with it.”“Maybe you escaped the consequences before—I don’t know how or why—but this time, I’m here to make sure it ends.” “I might be the last of my kind,” I said with a quiet strength that came from something
AntonAt first, she couldn’t bring herself to meet my eyes. She stared down, her fingers trembling slightly against mine. But after a long, weighted pause, she finally smiled — a soft, bittersweet curve of her lips — and tightened her grip on my hands.“I have feelings for you,” she whispered, her voice barely above the breeze, “but it wasn’t allowed in the faction...so I forced myself to forget.”She gave a short, breathy laugh that sounded like she was trying to make light of something that hurt far too much.“I slept with others in their dreams,” she admitted, her eyes clouding with memories, “but no matter what I did, I couldn’t forget you. I couldn’t forget the way we opened up to each other so easily... the way we were so gentle, yet so passionate together.”I swallowed hard, feeling the familiar ache rise in my chest, and found myself confessing before I could stop myself.“I felt the same,” I said, my voice thick. “I tried...I slept with others, too, but it never worked. I eve
Luxiana SommerisThe library was quiet, save for the occasional rustle of pages turning. I sat at my desk in the dimly lit corner of the grand old library, the soft golden light of my lamp casting shadows that flickered across the shelves. Towers of books surrounded me—ancient texts, forgotten manuscripts, and half-finished catalog cards. The faint smell of parchment and ink filled the air, grounding me as I reached for another fragile volume, its spine cracked from time and wear.I have always loved this place. The silence, the order, the sense that here, nothing could touch me. It was a haven, a place to hide from the chaos of the outside world. A place where my mind could wander freely between the pages of stories that weren’t my own. But lately, even the comforting isolation of the library couldn't keep away the strange, unsettling dreams.I have always had sleep paralysis, but I lost it after I immersed myself through working. I was always paranoid that I would see something o
Luxiana Sommeris“Don’t you dare touch me, or I’m calling the cops!” I shouted, my voice trembling even though I tried to mask my fear with anger. My back was pressed against the desk, the hard surface digging into my skin as I braced myself.I was trying to look tough, but inside, I was terrified. Something was unsettling about him, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.“I doubt you can call the cops here.” His voice was so steady, so casual, that it sent a chill down my spine.His face remained expressionless, cold until he gently tilted my chin upward with a soft and possessive touch.The moment his hand touched me, it was like my body froze. I couldn’t move. My lips, which had been quivering in fear, now wouldn’t respond. What had he done to me? Why couldn’t I speak? Panic surged through me, but it was trapped inside, unable to find its way out.“You’re perfect,” he murmured, his deep blue eyes gleaming with something I couldn’t quite place. “Everything about your
AntonAt first, she couldn’t bring herself to meet my eyes. She stared down, her fingers trembling slightly against mine. But after a long, weighted pause, she finally smiled — a soft, bittersweet curve of her lips — and tightened her grip on my hands.“I have feelings for you,” she whispered, her voice barely above the breeze, “but it wasn’t allowed in the faction...so I forced myself to forget.”She gave a short, breathy laugh that sounded like she was trying to make light of something that hurt far too much.“I slept with others in their dreams,” she admitted, her eyes clouding with memories, “but no matter what I did, I couldn’t forget you. I couldn’t forget the way we opened up to each other so easily... the way we were so gentle, yet so passionate together.”I swallowed hard, feeling the familiar ache rise in my chest, and found myself confessing before I could stop myself.“I felt the same,” I said, my voice thick. “I tried...I slept with others, too, but it never worked. I eve
Luxiana Sommeris“My walkers… they can’t fully possess the people in either the waking world or the dream realm—what did you do?” Morpheus screamed, his voice sharp and accusing, echoing like a crack of thunder through the heavy air, forcing me to leave Damien’s side and step forward until I stood directly in front of him, unflinching.“What I did,” I began, my breath shaky but my voice steady, “was use everything I am as an Oneiromancer to stop whatever it is you’re trying to tip out of balance.” I exhaled sharply, the pressure of it all catching up to me. “You really think I came all this way just to fight you without a reason, don’t you?”“We know what you've been doing,” I continued, my fists clenched so tight my nails dug into my palms, “I swear I won’t let you get away with it.”“Maybe you escaped the consequences before—I don’t know how or why—but this time, I’m here to make sure it ends.” “I might be the last of my kind,” I said with a quiet strength that came from something
Anton“Y-You saw it? B-But how?” I asked, my voice almost breaking.“It doesn’t matter how. I want to see it and take it from you, so let’s go back, okay?” Mira said as she held my hands.“O-Okay,” I replied, the word trembling from my lips, but it was enough to make them both smile, and for a moment, that warmth was all I could feel.“There’s still time,” Mira said again with the authority of someone who had walked through too many endings to be afraid of one more. “But we have to act now. Morpheus still has his grip on you, and if we wait, he’ll pull you too deep—we might never reach you again.”I looked at them—at Luxiana’s steady eyes and Mira’s unshakable calm—and for the first time in what felt like forever, I let myself believe that maybe I wasn’t lost after all. That the darkness hadn’t consumed everything, that the flicker of light I thought was long gone had survived because they had come before the dream collapsed.“I don’t know if I’m strong enough,” I whispered, the trut
Luxiana Sommeris“How can we reach him?” Mira asked, her voice low but laced with worry, the concern lingering in her eyes despite her valiant effort to mask it.A sudden surge of hope rose within me, a warmth that spread through my chest like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. I was just about to tell her what to do, to explain the next step, when a sound tore through the stillness—a scream, raw and anguished, that shattered the moment.Damien was down on one knee, his flames sputtering like a candle on the verge of going out, his breath ragged and uneven. Across from him stood Morpheus, towering and bloodied, yet crackling with the vicious energy of victory, his form coiled and ready to deliver the final strike. Time stretched unbearably thin in that instant, as if the world held its breath with me, one heartbeat, one second suspended in the space between what was and what could still be.“Damien! No!” The words ripped from my throat like a bolt of lightning, sharp and despe
Luxiana SommerisFor a fleeting moment, I saw fear flicker across Morpheus’ face—a brief crack in his mask of arrogance—but he quickly smirked, recovering his composure. I had been told before that he never liked Damien, and now I understood why. It was the white flames. Something about them, something pure and ancient, unsettled him.“You’re making this even harder,” Morpheus sneered, rising slowly from where Damien had brought him to his knees. He dusted himself off as if the attack was nothing more than a minor inconvenience, but I could see the tightness around his eyes, the tremor in his voice. “Do you really think the two of you can be together?”Damien took a cautious step forward, eyes narrowed in disbelief. Clearly, he hadn’t expected Morpheus to recover so quickly—not after being consumed by white flames, the same flames that had once been powerful enough to destroy entire darkness.Despite Morpheus’s attempt to appear unshaken, I could tell the damage was real. He was hur
Luxiana Sommeris“Where’s Anton? If you hurt him, I will end you.” I clenched my fists, which made him chuckle.He didn’t say anything, but he moved forward. I didn’t flinch—not when the shadow moved like a living creature, snarling without a mouth, nor when Morpheus hovered a little closer, like he was trying to study me, savor me, as if I were a guest of honor at some twisted performance he’d been rehearsing for centuries. My fists clenched at my sides, and though my heart thudded hard against my ribs, I refused to let him see fear. Not now. Not when I had come all this way.“What kind of show are you planning to put on this time?” I asked, my voice firm, even as the chill of his presence settled into my bones. “Another nightmare? Another illusion to trap me in?”He tilted his head, his expression between amusement and curiosity, like a child toying with a fragile toy, waiting to see how easily it would break.“Oh, this one’s going to be special,” he said softly, almost sweetly, as
Luxiana SommerisUntil I reached a clearing—something that might once have been a beautiful place. A forest, frozen in twilight.The trees were twisted now, unmoving, but not dead. The air hung heavy with silence that pressed against my skin, sharp enough to hurt.And then I saw him. Anton stood at the center, his back to me. He was still—too still. His shoulders were stiff, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, and his head was tilted slightly, as if listening to something only he could hear.But I could feel the wrongness in the air. His energy wasn’t right. It vibrated dark and low, coiled and waiting like a snake beneath the surface.“Anton,” I said, almost tearing up, my voice piercing the silence like a blade. He didn’t move or answer.“Anton, I know you’re in there. I know what Morpheus is doing. But I also know you’re still fighting.” I called out again.A gentle but biting wind passed through the trees. When it stopped, it became extremely cold, so when Anton laughed, I
Luxiana SommerisAfter drinking from the cool, rushing river, a wave of exhaustion washed over me so heavily that I decided to set up camp nearby, letting the gentle murmur of the water soothe my weary senses. As I sat alone beneath the twilight sky, the fire crackling softly beside me, my thoughts spiraled into a restless haze, each clinging to the next as I tried desperately to anchor myself in some semblance of calm.If Morpheus had taken Damien, I was certain I would have felt it—some thread between us tugging, snapping, crying out—but the silence was deafening. Could it be that those who took him were not of Morpheus’ kind at all? What if... the grim reapers had come for him instead?The thought struck me with a cold, paralyzing dread. Lying within the thin walls of my makeshift tent, I stared at the fabric ceiling, my heart pounding louder than the night sounds beyond. Damien could hold his own against nearly anyone, but when it came to the reapers... it was a different game e
Luxiana SommerisAfter the incubus delivered his cryptic message, he vanished into thin air, leaving nothing but unsettling silence. I stood there, rooted in place, unsure of how to process what he had said—unsure of what I was supposed to feel.“For some reason… I don’t want to continue this journey anymore,” Damien murmured with a bitter laugh that held no real amusement. His voice pulled my attention upward, and I found him looking off into the distance, his expression tight with worry.“We don’t have that luxury, Damien,” I replied, my voice steady and resolute despite the turmoil churning inside me. “I have a responsibility to protect both the dream realm and the waking world. I’m the only one who can.”His eyes met mine then, dark and stormy with concern. “But going back there means risking your life,” he said, each word heavy with truth. “If Morpheus really wants you, he’ll find a way to take you. He’s done it before, and now… now he’s stronger, more prepared. You know that.”